The 10 Best Stocks of 2013 Through Q3

See how the picks stack up heading into the homestretch

It feels like yesterday that we were marveling at the fact that the year, and thus InvestorPlace‘s 10 Best Stocks for 2013 contest, was already halfway over. Now we’re heading into the homestretch.

For those who aren’t familiar with our Best Stocks contest, it’s an annual showdown where experts pick stocks to buy and then hold for all of 2013.

So far this year, it has been an entertaining race — though it hasn’t produced the market-beating returns some of our pickers would’ve hoped. Only two stocks are sitting ahead of the S&P 500‘s total return, while — as was the case at the end of Q2 — the bottom two are downright ugly.

Still, those two leaders are doubling the broader market, and there’s still a good three months for the rest of the stock picks to stage a comeback.